Events
Featured Event
Sir James MacMillan – Lecture
January 17th, 10:00 a.m. PST
Day(s)
:
Hour(s)
:
Minute(s)
:
Second(s)
Upcoming Events
13
January
Spring Semester of Chorister Program Starts
Join us mid-year! Enroll your student(s) starting in the spring semester.
4:15 – 6:15 P.M. PST
17
January
Setting the Words of the Mass to Music in the Secular Environment of our Time: a Catholic Composer’s Experience
Sir James MacMillan – Lecture
4th Annual Public Lecture and Concert Series
Date: Saturday, January 17th
Time: 10 a.m. Pacific (1 p.m. Eastern)
Location: Online via Zoom
Tickets: Free, or suggested donation of $20
Join Sir James MacMillan and the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music for this lecture online, and have an opportunity to pose your questions to Sir James.
Space in the online event is limited; an RSVP is required.
10:00 A.M. PST
19
January
Spring Online Workshop Series Begins
Singing the Readings of the Mass in English
Monday, January 19 – 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., Pacific Time
Learn how to set the readings of the Mass in English to the tones in the Roman Missal. We’ll cover the basics of each tone, how to follow the grammar and scansion of the text for pointing it to the tones, and tricks for how to prepare to sing the readings in a pinch. Additional traditional tones used for these readings, and application of the tones in Spanish will also be covered. This session is ideal for lectors, deacons, priests, and anyone who trains people to sing the readings.
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka | Live via Zoom, 1 Session
Price: $10 live, $20 live plus archived access
5:30 - 6:30 P.m. PST
26
January
The Requiem through the Ages
Topic #2 of Spring 2026 Workshop Series
Mondays, Jan. 26, Feb. 2, 9 – 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., Pacific Time
Musical settings of the Mass for the Dead represent one of the most poignant genres in the choral literature. It is also one of very few major types of composition whose practice spans every age of Western music history, and whose formal and stylistic scales range from the austere to the grandiloquent. While its origins and musical elements are rooted in liturgical function, its development has also been shaped by secular notions of ceremony and musical expression, in particular the requisites of the concert hall. This series will survey the diverse, complex repertoire that this history has yielded. Representative examples from the Medieval era to the twentieth century will be studied in terms of style, form and aesthetics, as well as historical and historiographical contexts.
Instructor: Dr. Erick Arenas | Live via Zoom, 3 sessions
Price: $25 live, $35 live plus archived access
5:30 - 6:30 P.m. PST
30-31
January, 2026
Oregon Sacred Music Colloquium
This year’s Oregon Sacred Music Colloquium at Mt. Angel Abbey will focus on liturgical music as prayer and the pride of place that Gregorian Chant occupies in the sacred liturgy. Opportunities include Gregorian Chant workshops, private voice instruction, and lectures with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka. During the Colloquium participants will be preparing liturgical music for a Pontifical High Mass, joining their voices in prayer and song.
Friday afternoon and all day Saturday
6-7
February, 2026
Deus in Adjutorium Meum Intende: Singing the Divine Office throughout the Church’s Charisms
Discover the beauty of the sung Divine Office at this enriching online conference hosted by the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music
February 6–7, 2026, Online
The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music gathers scholars and practitioners for this online conference.
Presenters include:
- Fr. Mark Bachmann, O.S.B. (Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey)
- Fr. Chrysostom Baer, O.Praem. (St. Michael’s Abbey)
- Prof. Christopher Berry (Catholic Institute of Sacred Music)
- Abbot Marc Crilly, O.S.B. (St. Benedict Abbey)
- Gregory DiPippo (Veterum Sapientia Institute)
- Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka (Catholic Institute of Sacred Music)
- Dr. Nina Heereman (St. Patrick’s Seminary)
- Dr. Anthony Lilles (St. Patrick’s Seminary)
- Sr. Maria Kiely (Catholic University of America, ICEL)
- Fr. Robert Pasley (Church Music Association of America)
- Dr. Richard Skirpan (St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Harrisburg, PA)
- Fr. Innocent Smith, O.P. (University of Notre Dame)
Beginning with the ancient invocation “Deus in adjutorium meum intende” (“O God, come to my assistance”), this event explores how the Divine Office—the Church’s official daily prayer—is sung and lived across diverse spiritual traditions and charisms, from Benedictine monasteries, Dominican friaries, and Norbertine abbeys to diocesan rectories, cathedrals, and in the lives of the laity.
Sessions include:
- Theological reflections on biblical texts and the hymns of the Office
- Practical workshops on chanting psalmody and employing the organ at the Divine Office
- Insights into adapting the Divine Office in parish settings, religious communities, and private prayer
- Presentations on historical and contemporary approaches to sung prayer in various rites and orders
Whether you’re a cleric, religious, choir director, or lay faithful seeking to deepen your prayer life through sacred music, this conference will inspire you to sing the Church’s universal prayer as a part of your daily rhythm.
Friday afternoon and Saturday morning
9
February
Continuing Education for CISM Graduate Students
5-Part Series
Past and current CISM graduate students are invited to participate in this live, Zoom-based series. Sessions are only available live; no archived access is available.
Monday, March 2nd’s retreat with Archbishop Cordileone is open to all.
Mondays, February 9, 16, 23, March 2, 9 – 4:00 – 5:00 p.m., PST
- Monday, Feb. 9 – Launching an Organ Building Campaign – with Prof. Christopher Berry
- Monday, Feb. 16 – Nutrition, Sleep, Sickness-avoidance, and Spiritual Habits for Church Musicians – Panel Discussion
- Monday, Feb. 23 – Building a Tenebrae Service in Your Parish – with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka & Prof. Christopher Berry
- Monday, March 2 – Lenten Retreat – Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone
- Monday, March 9 – Ward Method Check-up – with Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka
Topic descriptions forthcoming
Live via Zoom
4:00–5:00 P.M. PST
15
February
MSM and Certificate Applications Due
Live auditions and interviews take place between February 15 and March 15. Applicants will receive notification of acceptance by March 20. * Acceptance is provisional, pending WSCUC approval of the programs.
John A. McInnes Choral Fellowship applications are also due Feb. 15th by midnight.
Midnight, PST
16
February
General Instruction of the Roman Missal: Directed Reading Group
Topic #3 of Spring 2026 Workshop Series
Mondays, Feb 16, 23, March 2 – 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., PST
Read the sections of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal that directly pertain to music under the guidance of an expert in Church legislation on sacred music. Discover the relationship of the GIRM to other legislative documents, learn how to read with rubrical and liturgical precision in light of the Church’s treasury of sacred music, and discuss pastoral and practical implications of the document for the parish context.
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka | Live via Zoom, 3 sessions
Price: $25 live, $35 live plus archived access
5:30 - 6:30 P.m. PST
7
March
Music for Worship and Leisure:
Musical Beauty in the Life of the Christian,
in the Light of St. Thomas
The Catholic Institute of Sacred Music is partnering with the Thomistic Arts Guild and Thomas Aquinas College to present a day-long conference:
Music for Worship and Leisure: Musical Beauty in the Life of the Christian, in the Light of St. Thomas
Location: St. Vitus Catholic Church Parish Hall – 9710 White Oak Ave., Northridge, CA 91352
Join us for a day of immersion in and exploration of the beauty of music. Conference sessions will focus on different aspects of true leisure (à la Josef Pieper), featuring keynote speakers on philosophical and practical topics which touch on music in the Christian life. We’ll learn what to listen for in music, and develop our abilities to delight in true musical beauty. Participants will also learn to sing a Mass ordinary for a Solemn High Mass for the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas. A festive dinner concludes the day.
Tickets go on sale January 1st, 2026:
– Full-time student rate: $15
– Full-time student + dinner rate: $40
– Regular day rate: $35
– Regular day rate + dinner: $75
– Registration: 8:30am
– Solemn High Mass: 5:30pm
– Dinner: 6:45pm
All Day
9
March
Playing Bach through the Liturgical Year
Topic #4 of Spring 2026 Workshop Series
Mondays, March 9, 16, 23 – 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. PST
Take a bird’s-eye view of the organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach with the goal of situating them in the Catholic liturgical year and context. Discover gems for use in your parish that align with feast days, and take a deep dive on the musical intricacies of selected works, helping you discern the details which contribute to their beauty and magnificence.
Instructor: Prof. Christopher Berry | Live via Zoom, 3 sessions
Price: $25 live, $35 live plus archived access
5:30 - 6:30 P.m. PDT
25
March
Duruflé’s Messe cum Jubilo for the Feast of the Annunciation
4th Annual Public Lecture and Concert Series
Celebrate the feast of the Annunciation by joining the St. Patrick’s Seminary Schola Cantorum for a Solemn Mass at St. Patrick’s Seminary!
The Mass will feature Maurice Duruflé’s Messe cum Jubilo, Franz Biebl’s Ave Maria, and proper chants for the feast sung by the seminarians. Seminarian Andrew Kelley (Diocese of Spokane) will sing the baritone solos in the Duruflé mass, with organ accompaniment provided by Prof. Christopher Berry, under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Donelson-Nowicka.
Mass is at 5:00 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park.
5:00 - 6:00 P.m. PDT
16
April
Listening in Leisure and Love: How Listening to Music with Friends Points Us to Beatitude
4th Annual Public Lecture and Concert Series
Date: Thursday, April 16th
Time: 6:30 p.m. Pacific
Location: Sancta Maria Hall at St. Patrick’s Seminary and online via livestream
Tickets: Free, or suggested donation of $20
Dr. Margaret Hughes discusses the place of music in leisure, in light of the writings of Josef Pieper.
A reception follows the in-person event.
6:30 - 7:30 P.M. PDT
18
April
Sacred Music Study Day
The third annual Sacred Music Study Day—co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of San Francisco, St. Patrick’s Seminary, and the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music—draws together singers from all over northern California for an all-day Catholic choral festival.
The emphases of this year’s event are music in honor of the Holy Eucharist and development of vocal technique in group rehearsals.
The event features:
- Rehearsals featuring music you can take home to your congregations
- The opportunity to learn music we can sing together at Mass
- Workshops offering tips on developing and teaching healthy vocal technique
- Solemn Mass, sung by participants, celebrated by His Excellency, Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco
- Catechesis on the role of sacred music in the spiritual life
- An opportunity to go to confession
- Lunch, refreshments, and fellowship with area musicians
The event is designed especially for:
- Parish music directors
- Parish choir members
- Cantors
- Clergy
Singers and music directors of all ability levels will find the event enriching and worthwhile.
All Day
1
May
Non-Degree-Seeking Student Application Deadline,
Summer Term Begins
Non-degree-seeking students must have completed all aspects of their applications by May 1st.
Preparation period for summer term classes begins
29
June
Summer Term, Week 1 of 5-Day Classes
History and Principles of Sacred Music
Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Manuscript Sources, Semiology, and Interpretation
Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Vocal Technique and Semiological Performance Practice
6
July
Summer Term, Week 2 of 5-Day Classes
Teaching Gregorian Chant to Children
Liturgical Theology
13
July
Summer Term, Week 3 of 5-Day Classes
Introduction to Gregorian Chant
Organ Accompaniment of Chant
20
July
Summer Term, Week 4 of 5-Day Classes
Choral Institute
Composition Seminar
Organ Improvisation
John A. McInness Choral Fellows due on campus the morning of the previous Saturday, July 18th.
27
July
Summer Term, Week 5 of 5-Day Classes
Choral Preparation: Choral Conducting, Rehearsal Techniques, and Group Vocal Pedagogy
Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Notation and Practice in the Tenth through Fourteenth Centuries
Advanced Seminar in Gregorian Chant: Cantare super librum
3-7
August
CISM Chant Camp
Gregorian Chant Camp for Ages 8 to 17.
Discover the joy of singing the Church’s sacred music!
Join the CISM Chorister Program for its second annual chant camp on the campus of St. Patrick’s Seminary!
A week of fun, engaging, and positive rehearsals, games, catechesis, time for prayer, and meals together; Chant Camp is a day camp for students who want to grow in their faith, learn to sing, and enjoy fellowship with other Catholics.
Chant Camp is designed for students of all levels, aged 8 to 17, from those who are new to singing Gregorian chant to those who have had some experience chanting or singing in a Catholic choir.
The camp includes:
- Mass, sung by camp participants
- Rehearsals that develop singing ability and technique
- Instruction in how to read printed music, including chant notation
- Games and time relaxing or playing outside
- Snacks and lunch
- Catechesis
- Time for personal prayer and the opportunity to go to confession
Parents are welcome to join the students for final Mass at noon on Friday.
Scholarships are available for families with financial need. Please inquire with Sr. Mary Vianney at mary.vianney@stpsu.edu.
Mornings through Lunch
24
August
Fall Term Begins for MSM and Certificate Students
Fall Courses: Applied Voice, MSM Colloquium